Ge Nianlan recalled the most traumatizing parts of the cursed artifact very easily, but when it came down to the daily life aspect, he could sit still for days, thinking about it, and still not get in answer. However, he clearly remembered that people looked down on him when he went to Yunkong Pavilion. Though…that could have been for other reasons. And if there was a treaty, could Huai Zhen so easily destroy Yunkong Pavilion?

But…that lunatic did so after Ge Jinsheng’s death. And as the Supreme Devil God, who else could stop you beside your own father?

Ge Nianlan sat in a daze through his lesson with Zhao Cuihong.

So, would a treaty help the world remain intact or not?

Gui Nianlan personally didn’t care about any treaty or rivalries. He just knew that if he survived, but the world still ended, then there was absolutely no point in him struggling! Therefore, he had to first stop the world from ending before he worried about his own survival.

...Well, the order of things was difficult to decide, really.

“Young Lord?”

Ge Nianlan snapped out of his thoughts as a cool hand swept up his fringe and pressed against his forehead. He looked at Zhao Cuihong dazedly as the beautiful man’s face creased.

“Are you okay? I heard from Lord Nie yesterday that you were also very distracted during lessons,” Zhao Cuihong said.

“I wasn’t that distracted,” Ge Nianlan protested. He took Zhao Cuihong’s hand from his forehead and absentmindedly held it.

Zhao Cuihong sat down across from Ge Nianlan and watched him silently.

Ever since Ge Nianlan had read the cursed artifact, he had changed a lot. It was a good thing that he was so bright now, but there was a strange seriousness that lingered around him that children should not have. Nowadays, he was always deep in thought. And when he smiled, Zhao Cuihong felt as if there was a different intention behind it. The innocence and ignorance that was always present had vanished, but Zhao Cuihong knew that Ge Nianlan was still the same boy.

“If there is ever anything troubling you, Young Lord—anything at all—please tell me,” Zhao Cuihong said.

Ge Nianlan looked up at Zhao Cuihong, who was smiling kindly at him.

“I will do whatever it takes to aid you. I could even put my life on the line,” Zhao Cuihong said. “I promise.”

Ge Nianlan returned the smile with a bright grin, but his heart screamed and kicked. Isn’t that just what he was afraid of!?

He was racking his brains to make sure no one loyal to him died, but here was one of them—basically swearing his life away!

Ge Nianlan sighed internally. If there was anyone he could tell, it was those two who already knew half of his secret. But even then, the cursed artifact went into little detail about how Huai Zhen’s relationship with those at Yunkong Pavilion were. If it was fine, then he would have at least spared Ye Mingxi and Baili Liuye, right? But he had even killed both of them!

“Zhao-jiejie,” Ge Nianlan looked up at the Fox Saint again. “Are lessons over for today?”

Zhao Cuihong looked taken aback. “Would you like them to be over?”

Ge Nianlan smiled sheepishly. He had spent the past month enthusiastically eating up whatever information he had been given, but after seeing Baili Liuye, he felt as if he were on a time crunch.

“I wanted to ask Lord Hanjing more about Gugu!” Ge Nianlan said as he held up the slumbering chicken with a pout. “He sleeps all the time, so I’m wondering if I’m doing anything wrong.”

Zhao Cuihong looked at the apathetic Ashen Phoenix in the boy’s hands. He wanted to tell Ge Nianlan that an Ashen Phoenix slept a lot in its early years, but after thinking about it, he only smiled. It would be good for Ge Nianlan to talk to people who did not belong to Black Mane Palace.

“Alright, let me tell you about your homework and you can be on your way.”

“Thank you, Zhao-jiejie!” Ge Nianlan sang.

Once Zhao Cuihong finished and Ge Nianlan had packed everything up, the boy rushed for the door. When he stepped out, he looked around the hall.

“Ling Tong!”

The puppet jing phased into existence nearby and strolled over. “Yes, Young Lord?”

“Do you know where Lord Hanjing is staying?”

“Yes.”

“Can you take me there?”

“Yes.”

Ge Nianlan struggled to follow behind the briskly walking Ling Tong for what felt like half an hour. When they arrived at the guest courtyard, Ge Nianlan immediately jumped in front of Ling Tong and stopped her from entering. Ling Tong stared at him with a few parts of surprise and confusion.

“You can’t enter.”

“Why not?”

“Because you are a Python Saint! Yesterday, Lord Nie told me that they’re here for a talk about a treaty, so if someone of such high status marches in without first announcing their presence and intention, they will find it extremely rude, then there won’t be any treaty to sign!”

Ling Tong blinked silently for a few seconds. The reasoning was there, but coming from Ge Nianlan, Ling Tong felt put off for some reason.

“What about you?”

“I can go in because I’m a child,” Ge Nianlan said with a cheeky smile. He started to run through the garden. “Anyway, stay here! It’s not like they’ll hurt me or anything anyway!”

Ge Nianlan looked back twice to make sure Ling Tong was staying at the entrance of the guest courtyard. Just as he was about to turn back around, he smacked straight into another person’s legs. He fell to the ground with a grunt and heard a short gasp overhead.

“Young Lord! Are you okay?”

Ge Nianlan dizzily looked up at Ye Mingxi as the man helped him to his feet. He gently patted the dirt from Ge Nianlan’s clothes and looked him over everywhere.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Ye Mingxi frantically asked.

Ge Nianlan watched him turn over his hands and examine every inch of exposed skin. Sigu, who had been slumber peacefully on his shoulder, plopped onto Ge Nianlan’s head, clearly disgruntled.

“Lord Weidan, do you take care of children often?”

“I—huh?” Ye Mingxi looked up at Ge Nianlan and he brushed the small hands of any other dirt and small stones. “Of course. I look after the younger disciples quite often. That’s my job as the Pavilion Master. Now, what are you doing here, Young Lord? Were you playing around and got lost?”

Ge Nianlan shook his head. Just as Ye Mingxi released him, he turned around and held onto Ye Mingxi’s wide sleeves.

“Pavilion Master, I have something to talk to you about,” Ge Nianlan said.

“M-me?” Ye Mingxi raised a brow. “What is it?”

“I need advice,” Ge Nianlan said with a small pout.

“Um…and you wanted to ask…me?” Ye Mingxi pointed to himself.

Ge Nianlan nodded. He looked at the man seriously. “It’s very important! I can’t ask anyone else, because they might not take me seriously!”

Ye Mingxi understood. Because Ge Nianlan just learned that he often dealt with children, he felt that he was an adult to be trusted. Ye Mingxi smiled and found that this little boy was quite intelligent.

“Alright. Shall we move somewhere else to talk?” Ye Mingxi asked.

Just as Ge Nianlan nodded, he felt a weightlessness at his legs. His arms flailed slightly and Sigu squawked in discontent yet again. Ge Nianlan held onto Ye Mingxi’s shoulders and watched in surprise as the man started to carry him to a nearby gazebo.

In Black Mane Palace, only his father was really allowed to hold him like this and Ge Nianlan had few memories of his father holding him. He was stiff for a while, but he eventually relaxed in Ye Mingxi’s arms. Once he was sat down, he returned to his state of seriousness.

Ye Mingxi tried very hard to not laugh.

“So, Young Lord,” Ye Mingxi smiled as he rested his arm against the table, “What is it that you want to ask me about?”

Ge Nianlan fiddled with his fingers as Sigu hopped about on his head to make himself comfortable again.

“Don’t laugh,” Ge Nianlan warned.

Ye Mingxi adopted a very serious expression. “I promise you that I won’t.”

Ge Nianlan took a deep breath. “So, me and a few disciples are playing this game and it’s basically a game where you have to make decisions and those decisions lead to outcomes, right? It’s supposed to exercise your decision-making ability or something—I don’t quite remember the explanation—but I have a very difficult decision to make and I can’t decide. But if I ask people like the Saints for help, the disciples I’m playing with might find out and they won’t like it, so I ran all the way here to ask Lord Hanjing for help.”

Ge Nianlan glanced at Ye Mingxi. “But I bumped into Lord Weidan first and you’re less scary, so I thought it might be okay to ask you instead. Is that okay?”

Ye Mingxi nodded somberly, but, in reality, he wanted to throw his head back and laugh. This rascal was part of the Baili Clan? He was in the same family as the old bat, Baili Yueling, and Baili Liuye!? There was no way! This boy was a cute round little dumpling while his two elders were carved from ice! How could they be related at all? What an absolute darling!

Ge Nianlan breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Ye Mingxi seriously again. “Okay, so, I need to tell you the character I’m playing as, is that okay?”

Ye Mingxi nodded. “Of course! I have a lot of time today.”